Grip on Sports: From bottom to top to middle, the NFL’s parity can lead to games like the Seahawks had yesterday
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Take a look at the NFL standings this morning. Nine weeks into the season the four NFC division leaders are the Rams, Eagles, Vikings and Saints. If you say you had that at the beginning of the season, you’re not telling the truth. Read on.
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• We get the National Football League is supposed to be all about parity and that stuff. But when it takes three – yes, three – missed field goals, 16 penalties and a last-second score for the Seahawks to sink closer to the middle of the pack, then parity isn’t fun to watch.
Unless you live in Los Angeles. Or Philadelphia. Or wherever else your NFL team is exceeding expectations.
That’s not the case in Seattle. Certainly not this week.
The Seahawks are safely ensconced in the great middle of the NFL pack. The upper middle maybe, but the middle nonetheless.
Funny thing, it’s not just the offense that’s at fault.
As coaches are fond of saying, all three phases found a way to contribute Sunday.
There was Blair Walsh channeling his Minnesota days and missing three first-half field goals – in a game Seattle ended up losing 17-14. There was the offense being shutout in the first half, though it did wake up in the fourth quarter. Finally, the vaunted defense, the backbone of the team, broke with the game on the line, allowing Washington to sail down the field and score the game winner in the final seconds.
That’s Washington, a team missing about half its offense to injury. Or maybe we should say, Washington, a 4-4 team ensconced exactly in the middle of a parity-filled NFL.
• Just for the record, there are two teams in the Pac-12 Conference Luke Falk has never beaten as Washington State’s starting quarterback. And those are the two teams the Cougars finish with.
OK, there are caveats. This Saturday will be the first time WSU has faced Utah since Falk has taken the reins to the offense. In 2014, the teams played in September, when Connor Halliday was still the Cougar starter. Then the past two years they missed each other in the Pac-12’s scheduling system.
Against the Huskies, who the Cougars finish with after a bye, Falk is 0-2, with both losses at home, in 2014 and 2016. In 2015, he was injured and did not play in the Huskies’ rout.
Falk’s stat line against UW: 60-of-99 passing for 624 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions. Not the best showing for the Pac-12’s all-time leading passer.
So Falk’s last two regular season games will be played in a) the Pac-12 stadium closest to where he grew up; and b) in Husky Stadium.
Those are two tough assignments, made even tougher by the defensive abilities of each school.
The Utes like to attack from every angle, doing whatever they possible can to get to the quarterback and knock him down. The Huskies are simply one of the nation’s best defenses.
The Cougars are 8-2. If they are 10-2 at the end of the regular season, Falk will be something of a miracle worker. And he will leave Pullman with a win over every conference school.
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WSU: Theo Lawson took a respite from football to cover a basketball game, as the Cougars’ hosted St. Martin’s in an exhibition contest. St. Martin’s, coached by former Eastern Washington assistant Alex Pribble, almost upset Washington last week. And came close again to WSU, with the Cougars pulling away in the second half for an 85-74 win. Theo has the game story and interviews with players and coach Ernie Kent. … Josh Wright took a look back at the crucial 24-21 win over Stanford. … Falk seemed to play that game with a little extra focus, according to Stefanie Loh’s story in the Times. … He will face the homecoming challenge this week.
Elsewhere in Pac-12, there are rankings, both conference-wide and nationally, available for your perusal. … The North championship is still to be decided, with Stanford hosting UW on Friday in a crucial game, not only for the North title but for Washington’s hopes of earning a playoff berth. … The South is a little more clear cut now, with USC in the driver’s seat after the Trojans’ win over Arizona. They basically have a two-game lead over their nearest pursuers. … UCLA’s poor season seems to be encouraging some fans to make stupid decisions. … Football in Colorado isn’t going too well these days, and the Buffs are part of the problem. … Arizona State played really well for one quarter last weekend. That was enough. … Remember when Oregon and Washington had a real rivalry going? … The losses are mounting at Oregon State but Cory Hall is just happy to be where he is.
Gonzaga: There was more exhibition basketball in the area yesterday, with the women routing Northwest Christian 96-35 at McCarthey. Jim Allen has that story. … Jim Meehan took a quick look back at the men’s exhibition win on Saturday.
EWU: Things aren’t going well for Eastern Washington’s football program right now. Not on the field, where the Eagles are a mundane, for them, 5-4. Or off the field, where two players, including starting quarterback Gage Gubrud, were suspended yesterday for the catch-all violation of team rules. Jim Allen has more in this story. … Jim was also out in Cheney yesterday to watch the women’s soccer team advance to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year, this time with a 3-0 win over Northern Colorado.
Indians: A former Indian player died recently. Jim Price has the obituary.
Preps: Dave Nichols wraps up the weekend that was and looks ahead to another crowded one.
Seahawks: Where to start? Of course we will begin with John Blanchette’s column from CenturyLink, home to pratfalls and boos yesterday. … The target of much of the fans’ disdain was Walsh, who stood in front of the media yesterday and took ownership of the loss. … The penalties also were given a lot of credit, with Pete Carroll positive the team can fix a problem that hasn’t been fixed in his tenure. … The rest of the season looks tougher and tougher. … Kirk Cousins had the final comeback Sunday. … Dwight Freeney is up to his old tricks. … Eddie Lacy was featured – until his body gave out.
Sounders: It won’t be the matchup everyone wanted in the Western Conference finals. Portland fell 2-1 to Houston, meaning the Sounders will face the Dynamo with the berth in the MLS Cup on the line.
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• The nice thing about falling back? I get up an hour earlier. OK, so my body wakes up at the same time, but the clock is different. Whatever the explanation, the first week or so following the time change this feature is done a bit earlier. Of course, around 9 at night it’s lights out in front of the TV set (figuratively), but that’s the tradeoff. Until later …